How does UNC football fit into Joe Montana's historic career?

Sammy Batten
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Notre Dame will return to the site where one of its greatest players launched his Hall of Fame career almost 47 years ago.

The Fighting Irish (1-2) play North Carolina (3-0) on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ABC) at Kenan Memorial Stadium, where on Oct. 11, 1975, a 19-year-old sophomore quarterback named Joe Montana made his varsity debut a memorable one. Entering the game in the fourth quarter, Montana rallied No. 15-ranked Notre Dame back from an eight-point deficit in the final minutes to a 21-14 victory.

The comeback was the first of many that would become Montana's trademark during an illustrious career.

Montana began that fall afternoon at Kenan in 1975 on the sidelines watching along with a crowd of 49,500 as the Fighting Irish and Tar Heels battled to a scoreless tie at halftime. He remained on the sidelines as UNC stunned Notre Dame with two touchdowns in the third quarter to go ahead 14-0.

Notre Dame pulled within 14-6 with 11:27 to play, but a two-point conversion pass by quarterback Rick Slager failed to find its mark. The teams exchanged punts, Notre Dame regained possession with 6:04 remaining.

Enter Montana, who had been recruited by UNC men's basketball coach Dean Smith to play for the Tar Heels.

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It was a daring move by first-year Notre Dame coach Dan Devine, whose team had suffered its first loss of the season the week before against Michigan State. But it paid off when Montana used just five plays to get the Irish even. He completed passes of 7 and 39 yards in the drive before Al Hunter scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. Montana then ignored a heavy UNC rush to connect with tight end Doug Buth on the two-point conversion to tie the score at 14.

There was still 5:11 on the clock, and UNC's offense drove to the Notre Dame 26 from where Tom Biddle missed on a 42-yard field goal attempt.

Montana called for a short pass play on first down intended for Ted Burgmeier. But when UNC defensive back Russ Conley slipped, Burgmeier turned what was supposed to be an 8-yard gain into an 80-yard touchdown that put the Irish up to stay.

Of course, Montana would go on from there to direct Notre Dame to the 1977 national championship and win four Super Bowl titles with the NFL San Francisco 49ers.

On a side note, Notre Dame's 1975 roster also featured a walk-on defensive end named Rudy Ruettiger. Ruettiger, whose journey to Notre Dame later became a hit movie, did not make the trip to Chapel Hill.

Notre Dame star Paul Hornung
Notre Dame star Paul Hornung

Here are some other notable moments from the 22-game history between Notre Dame and North Carolina.

  • Nov. 12, 1949 — The Tar Heels and Fighting Irish battle to a 6-6 halftime tie in New York before a crowd of 67,000 at Yankee Stadium. Notre Dame's star-studded offense gets rolling in the second half, scoring 36 unanswered points for a 42-6 win.

  • Nov. 17, 1951 — Played in Chapel Hill before a crowd of 44,500, UNC was in position to win late in the fourth quarter but Connie Gravitt's fourth-down pass into the end zone was batted down by Notre Dame to preserve a 12-7 victory.

Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams (23) is lifted into the air by offensive lineman Aaron Banks (69) after he scored a touchdown against North Carolina at Kenan Memorial Stadium.
Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams (23) is lifted into the air by offensive lineman Aaron Banks (69) after he scored a touchdown against North Carolina at Kenan Memorial Stadium.

  • Nov. 17, 1956 — The teams were tied at 14 with six minutes to play at Notre Dame Stadium when eventual Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung capped a big performance in his final home game with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:16 to play. Hornung scored all three Irish touchdowns and kicked the extra points in the game in the 21-14 Notre Dame victory.

  • Oct. 6, 1960 — Homecoming in Chapel Hill marked the first UNC win against Notre Dame. Before a crowd of 41,000, the Tar Heels took a 12-0 lead into the fourth quarter behind the play of junior quarterback Ray Ferris, who passed for 115 yards and a TD in the game. UNC would hold on to win 12-7 and coach Jim Hickey was carried off the field on the shoulders of the student body.

  • Oct. 11, 2008 — Quarterback Cameron Sexton scored on a 4-yard run with 14:55 to play while UNC's defense shut out the Fighting Irish over the final 20 minutes to produce a 29-24 win. The victory, however, was later vacated by UNC due to self-imposed penalties resulting from an NCAA investigation into the program.

  • Oct. 30, 2021 — Notre Dame overcame a brilliant performance by UNC quarterback Sam Howell to pull out a 44-34 win in South Bend. Howell passed for 341 yards and rushed for 101 more to get the Tar Heels within 31-27 of the 11th-rated Irish late in the third quarter. But a 91-yard touchdown run by Kyren Williams to start the fourth quarter thwarted the UNC comeback.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC football vs. Notre Dame history has Joe Montana's comeback debut